


Light at the End of the Tunnel

by ScrollingKingfisher



Series: Gabriel Monthly Challenges [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Consensual Possession, Episode: s05e19 Hammer of the Gods, Fix-It, Gabriel Lives, Gen, Possession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 02:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11957910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrollingKingfisher/pseuds/ScrollingKingfisher
Summary: “All that bravado, all those witty comebacks…Just to hide how terrified you really are.”It's time for Gabriel's final showdown with Lucifer, and he knows how this is going to play out. But this time, Sam makes a decision that will change everything.





	Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Gabriel Monthly challenge;  
> “All that bravado, all those witty comebacks…Just to hide how terrified you really are.”  
> And also as a prequel for a longer story that I'm writing! Which is currently trapped on my dead laptop, so this is some creative pressure relief while I'm trying to get that fixed...

 

_ Tap… tap… tap…  _

 

The tip of the archangel blade rapped the floor with a series of metallic clicks as Gabriel bounced his leg. He’d been sitting here for hours, barely moving, his attention on a recently magically renovated hotel across the country. The omens were all there. The storm, the animal deaths, the chaos of beings and elements. There was something big coming, with global repercussions that would shake the firmament of the universe itself. He’d known it was coming since the dawn of time. And now it was here.

 

With a tired sigh Gabriel let his senses retreat back to his vessel and rubbed his hands over his face. So there was no avoiding it, then. 

 

It was too easy to just blame the Winchesters. Heaven’s meddling had brought it to this point. The boys were born and bred for just this purpose, like livestock raised for slaughter. But Gabriel had tried so hard this time.

 

He looked around the little flat that had been his home base since around the seventies. It had always seemed a safe haven before, but now the place felt darker, emptied. Shadows lurked in strange places over familiar furniture, as though all colour had been sucked from the rooms. Even his dog was gone, dropped off at a reliable shelter the week before. There was nothing left for him here.

 

Gabriel shivered. Standing, he flicked his blade back into nonexistence and grabbed the nearest DVD. He quickly altered it to give the message he wanted to pass along, his mouth twitching into the ghost of a smile as he realised he'd picked out a porno. Well, that would serve those two blockheads right.

 

He took a shuddering breath. Spreading his wings, he flew, alighting outside the ballroom of the Elysian Fields hotel. Then he pushed the doors open and sauntered in. Showtime. 

 

“Can't we all just get along?”

 

.o0o.

 

Trying to seduce Kali was a catastrophe of epic proportions. He got away by the skin of his teeth, but he would bet his halo that she hadn't been quite as taken in by his ruse as she had pretended to be to the other gods. Despite her fiery temper (pun intended), she had always had something of a soft spot for him. 

 

He knew he couldn’t run, though. Not when he still had his part to play. Instead, he hid in the peaceful, well-warded darkness of the back of the Winchester’s car until Dean found him.

 

He wasn’t even paying attention to most of the conversation with the big lug, but it caught his notice when Dean said challengingly, “Is it that you can’t help us take down Lucifer? Or that you won’t?”

 

Gabriel gave him his best condescending look of disgust over the seat. “You idiot. You know what happens when Lucifer and Michael have their party. What do you think would happen if Lucifer and I threw down? Let me give you a visual aid; imagine North America, gone. Probably a good chunk of Canada and Mexico, too. Imagine the oceans boiling, the icecaps melting, and clouds of ash blocking out the sun for years. But sure, go ahead. If it’s an extinction event you want, I can deliver.”

 

Dean at least had the grace to look a little ashamed. “Oh. Um…”

 

Gabriel waved a hand tiredly. “Oh, forget it. You’d better get back in there before they start the summoning.” Dean glanced at him again, then started to get out of the car. “Wait-” Dean stopped, looking back at him. “Just… try not to screw up too much, alright?” It was as much of a pep talk as he could give without giving too much away. He wished that he could have had a few words with the younger Winchester too, a chance to explain himself for the Mystery Spot and TV land, but there just wasn’t time. 

 

Dean frowned, but nodded. Gabriel watched him stride across the darkened lot and closed his eyes. In the distance, he felt something immense and cold start to move towards them.

 

.o0o.

 

“You okay?” Dean was saying to Sam as Gabriel appeared.

 

“Not really.” Both of the humans jumped and spun to look at him, and he gave them a rueful smile. “Better late than never, huh?” He slapped the altered DVD against Dean's chest. “Guard this with your life.” With that he stood, turned, and sent a wave of grace towards his brother, powerful enough to knock his vessel off its feet. 

 

“Luci, I'm home!”

 

Lucifer was back on his feet in a second, but he stopped when he saw Gabriel. His eyes widened in surprise, then joy. He stepped forwards, arms outstretched to embrace. 

 

It hurt to look at him, this broken, stained creature that had been his brother. The light that had shone so brightly before was now dim. His once-glorious wings clumped and ragged like a bird caught in an oil slick. But as much as the cage had wounded him, Gabriel knew that Lucifer was still deadly. Gabriel raised his archangel blade, a defensive move that they had used on each other time and again back in heaven while they were play fighting. Lucifer faltered. 

 

“Not this time.” Gabriel pulled Kali to her feet, careful to keep his eyes on Lucifer as the others edged towards the door behind him. 

 

Lucifer’s arms slowly lowered, his gaze freezing over once more. Gabriel reminded himself that this was his destiny he’d chosen for himself. He had to do this. 

 

Lucifer watched with a little disappointment as the humans vanished. “Really, Gabriel. Playing with the Pagans? Daddy would be disappointed.”

 

Gabriel didn't rise to the bait. “Lucifer, you're my brother and I love you. But you're a great big bag of dicks.”

 

“What did you just say to me?” The pure disbelief on his face was almost funny. 

 

“Look at yourself! Boohoo, daddy was mean to me, so I'm gonna smash up all his toys!”

 

Lucifers scowl grew darker. “Watch your tone,”

 

But Gabriel wasn't done. The fear still clogging his throat was turning into annoyance. If he was going to die here, he was going to say his piece first. “play the victim all you want. But you and me? We know the truth. Dad loved you best, more than Michael, more than me. Then he brought the new baby home, and you couldn't handle it. So all of this is just one big temper tantrum. Time to grow up.”

 

“Gabriel, if you're doing this for Michael-”

 

Gabriel felt a burst of temper. Hadn’t he shown, millennia ago, that he had no interest in siding with Michael? “Oh, screw him! If he were standing here, I'd shiv his ass too!”

 

Lucifer’s face was incredulous, as though he had never even thought of this as a possibility. “You disloyal-”

 

“Oh, I'm loyal alright! To them, lucifer. To humanity. To people.” They began slowly circling each other. Gabriel thought just maybe, if he could get Lucifer to understand...

 

Lucifer frowned in genuine confusion. “So you're willing to die for a pile of cockroaches. Why?” 

 

“Because dad was right. They are better than us.”

 

Lucifer’s face contorted. “But they're broken, flawed abortions!”

 

This was hopeless. Lucifer was never going to understand. He was never going to see humanity as anything more than something that needed exterminating. “Damn right they're flawed. But a lot of them try. To do better, to forgive. I've been riding the pine for a long time. But I'm back in the game now. And I'm not on your side, or Michael’s. I'm on theirs.”

 

“Brother, don't make me do this.” Lucifer looked almost sorry.

 

This was it. Gabriel squared his shoulders. “No one makes us do anything.” Silently, he flew behind Lucifer, leaving a copy in his wake. He let his blade slide out of his sleeve.

 

“I know you think you're doing the right thing, Gabriel. But I know where your heart truly lies. All that bravado, all those witty comebacks… just to hide how terrified you really are.” Lucifer stepped closer, his eyes clear and hard and fractured like ice crystals, “You know you can’t beat me, little brother. You don’t dare even fight me. Not if you want your little human friends to live.”

 

The worst part was that he was right; Gabriel was terrified. He didn't want to die. He wanted desperately to live, but that just wasn't in the Plan.

 

His aim had been to distract Lucifer for as long as possible but now he faltered, just for a second. Because, deep down, he still saw Lucifer as his beloved older brother.

 

Gabriel lunged.

 

He was fast. But Lucifer was faster.

 

It didn't feel like pain at first; it felt like cold. Terrible, biting cold, digging right to the centre of him. The shock of it made him gape, staring down at the hilt buried in his chest, and then up into Lucifer’s face, so close to his. 

 

Gabriel clutched desperately at Lucifer’s jacket, fingers scrabbling against the fabric. The shadows were creeping into the corners of Gabriel's vision even as the Grace in his heart roiled hotter and hotter. His knees were giving out, heart breaking as he looked up into his beloved brother’s face, eyes wide and pleading. Lucifer stared back, and Gabriel’s heart shattered when he saw the tears gathering in them. 

 

His big brother was still in there. His brother was killing him. 

 

Lucifer's lips trembled as he spoke. “You see, amateur hocus pocus. Don't forget, little brother; you got all your best tricks from me.”

 

Gabriel heard the broken, hurt little noise that escaped his lips.

 

There was a concussive  _ bang  _ as the door of the room flew open. Both of the archangels startled a little as they turned to look, Gabriel grimacing as the blade dragged against his ribs. 

 

There, standing in the doorway, taking in the scene in front of him with his mouth open and his eyes darting, was none other than Sam Winchester. 

 

A wave of desperate frustration temporarily flooded out Gabriel’s pain. That moron! Did he want to be possessed or killed!? But luckily Lucifer just stood there, looking as confused as Gabriel felt. He mouthed ‘run!’ at the kid, desperately hoping he'd take the hint and get out of there. This wasn’t supposed to happen! 

 

Then, Sam did something that shocked Gabriel to his core. He lifted his chin, and shouted a single word into the deafening silence. 

 

“Yes!” 

 

The word seemed to ring through the room like a struck bell.

 

Gabriel couldn't believe his ears. He was stunned. Had Sam really- had he really just done that? Just given up? The concept just didn't make sense, the world lurching sideways off its rails. Sam wasn't supposed to say the big YES here, not now, not tonight. There was meant to be more. There had to be more. 

 

No, really, there had to be. Gabriel had spent a whole year trapped with Sam. He knew him. For better or worse, Sam was stubborn to a fault, he would never give up. So what was he doing? What was his plan?

 

Sam spoke again. “Yes, Gabriel! Do it now!”

 

And suddenly, like a beam of divine light, he got it.

 

Sam would never let Lucifer possess him. But apparently, he cared enough about Gabriel to save him. 

 

In the middle of his disbelief, Gabriel felt a sort of hysterical, giddy laughter bubbling up inside himself. The Winchesters had done it again. Every time he thought it was no longer possible, they kept on telling destiny to go screw itself in ever more inventive ways. And this time, just maybe, it might work out for him too. 

 

There was no time to lose. Gathering himself, he leapt out of the broken shell of his vessel, revelling momentarily in the release of his true form for the first time in long millennia. He hung there for a tiny fracture of a second and looked back at his brother, at the dawning realisation of what was happening and the terrible anger simmering to life in his eyes, then turned and plunged back down towards the human below him. He surged inside the vessel, occupying every inch of it, weaving himself into the lungs and heart and brain. 

 

Oh, it had been too long since he had lived in a vessel that was alive, not some cheap replica of a god. There was so much room in here, room and power. He tried to ignore the way that Sam’s soul cringed away from him, flattening itself against the back of their shared headspace. He’d work on that. This would have to do for now, until he had time to heal. He stretched, feeling his wings burst from Sam’s back as he launched them through the dimensions.

 

With a single flap he was gone, landing in the front seat of the older brother’s car. “Drive,” he commanded, and whatever Dean saw in his eyes it was obviously enough to shut him up for the time being. They sped away, leaving the storm and his brother’s broken screams behind him.


End file.
